Built in 1968, before the adjacent Interstate 291 was built, the hotel had fallen on hard times before the Parmar family's Pioneer Valley Hotel Group purchased it for $2.5 million.

Shardool Parmar, a co-owner of the new LaQuinta Inn, talks in the top-floor banquet room. The Republican / Michael S. Gordon  

SPRINGFIELD — The former Holiday Inn at 100 Congress St. is making a comeback as a La Quinta Inn after $4 million in renovations that have been years in the making.

But the 12-story hotel’s space-age revolving restaurant, once known as the Top o’ the Round and touted as the first of its kind in New England, will not be making a comeback, even though workers renovating the top-floor banquet hall discovered parts of the rotating mechanism left behind in the floor.

“It was a gimmick. It was a fad,” said Shardool Parmar, an owner of the new La Quinta Inn. “I’m not sure people today want to rotate as they eat.”

Built in 1968 before the adjacent Interstate 291 was built, the hotel had fallen on hard times before the Parmar family’s Pioneer Valley Hotel Group purchased it in 2010 for $2.5 million. The group already has hotels in Hadley and Ludlow.

The new La Quinta has about 35 full- and part-time employees.

The hotel had lost its Holiday Inn franchise in 2009 when it was in receivership and seized by its creditors.

Before that, renovations in 2006 and 2007 left the place looking dated, said Connie Foster, director of sales for the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group.

“They used the old style,” she said. “There were those floral bedspreads that made you think it was the 1970s even if they were new.”

No more of that. Now everything is light, clean and modern, right down to the fern-green colored furniture in the expanded lobby sitting area and the purple wall hanging behind the front desk.

All the furniture in each room is American made, Foster said.

The hotel officially rebranded itself last week as a La Quinta, part of a national chain of more than 700 hotels across North America.

Foster said it was open during renovations and she wanted to thank people for their understanding.

Parmar said the hotel won’t take homeless families on a state contract. Instead, he’ll focus on business travelers and families visiting Springfield for sports tournaments.

“When you think about it, a city the size of Springfield has only three other hotels beside this one, the Sheraton, the Marriott and the Hilton Garden Inn near the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,” he said. “That’s just only about 1,000 hotel rooms. We definitely know there is a market.”

Foster said she can sell the La Quinta as close to downtown and the MassMutual Center, but boasting free parking.

“We’re less formal,” she said. “We want this to be a place where people can feel at home. it’s not part of a giant complex.”

She finds it remarkable that a lot of the work was done by the company’s own staff with the help of local contractors.

“They each feel they have a little ownership of it,” she said.

Chelsea Skawski, left, a sales manager at the new LaQuinta Inn, at the front desk with co-owner Kishore Parmar. The Republican / Michael S. Gordon  

Rooms rent from $109 to $169 a night with corporate and other discounts applying.

Parmar said his family has left three floors of the hotel unrenovated. So now the hotel has 182 rooms instead of 244 when they took over.

Plans call for making at least one of the now-unoccupied floors into business meeting and conference rooms, which seem to be in demand.

The project was financed with a loan from Nuvo Bank & Trust Co. in Springfield and a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secured through the city.

“It wouldn’t have happened without the HUD program,” Parmar said. “It makes it easier for other lenders to jump in to the project.”

Parmar said the top-floor banquet hall will feature catering by Log Rolling Catering, an arm of The Delaney House and The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke.

“We just wanted to make things better,” he said. “That’s what we look to do with all our properties.”

The Fed voted to keep interest rates at nearly zero until unemployment drops below 6.5 percent.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appears before the House Financial Services Committee. Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite  

Imagine someone new to the United States, working diligently to follow the doings in Washington by keeping up with the daily news. He’s talking one afternoon with a co-worker when he mentions the three branches of the American government: the White House, the Congress – and the Federal Reserve.

No, no, he’d be told, the third branch is the judiciary, not the Fed.

So why, he’d ask, does the Federal Reserve act like it’s got so much power?

Good question. A very good question.

Thankfully, the Fed in recent times has begun to operate with some much-needed transparency. And now it’s even started to move to fulfill its congressionally dictated mission.

When the Federal Reserve’s 12-member regulatory body voted last week – with only one dissent – to keep interest rates at nearly zero until unemployment gets down below 6.5 percent, it was at long last addressing its so-called dual mandate: controlling interest rates while encouraging employment. Only one would never have known that, as the central bankers have long been acting like jobs don’t matter.

In announcing the Fed’s decision, Chairman Ben Bernanke said regulators expected that they would be keeping short-term interest rates at historic lows most likely through the end of 2015. He didn’t exactly say “at least,” but he didn’t exactly need to.

The critics didn’t waste any time, with some from the right immediately slamming Bernanke’s Fed for its decision to do more of the same by continuing its bond-buying program – when what it has been doing, in their view, hasn’t been working. Those on the left, of course, were unhappy because the Fed didn’t announce additional operations.

Neither critique, of course, is unexpected. But neither is very sensible, either.

Bernanke has been making all the right moves. If only he had some authority on avoiding the fiscal cliff.

The call allowed the 49ers to put the game out of reach.

FOXBOROUGH – It was fourth-and-1.

That’s all Bill Belichick had to say after Sunday’s 41-34 loss to the San Francisco 49ers when asked about a controversial decision to go for it from New England’s 12-yard line with 2:24 remaining. He had nothing else to say, and wasn’t about to explain his thinking after the call resulted in an incomplete pass.

But his critics weren’t willing to go away quietly. The Patriots were only down by seven at that point, had two timeouts remaining, plus the two-minute warning, and the defense had recorded four consecutive stops before giving up the go-ahead touchdown.

Why wouldn’t he elect to punt and roll the dice on defense, instead of putting his team in a 10-point hole that would require a touchdown, a successful onsides kick and field goal to get out of? Was there any debate over what to do in that situation?

“None,” Belichick said. “It was fourth-and-2.”

It was actually fourth-and-1, but perhaps Belichick was recalling a 2009 game against the Colts when the decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 ended up costing his team a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Both situations were similar, as was Belichick’s reaction. And once again plenty of analysts will question his decision-making even though there are plenty of statistics to support his decision in both situations. But as Belichick once famously said, “Stats are for losers.”

Still, the Patriots had actually converted on five consecutive fourth-down attempts prior to that play, so there was reason to believe that they could do it again. The difference, though, is that those five previous decisions were considered good because they worked. His final one will be classified as a poor choice because it failed to pick up a yard.

“We made a few of them,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “That was just bad execution.”

The call isn’t the first one that Belichick has come under fire for this season. In a 31-21 win over the Denver Broncos on Oct. 7, he elected to go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Denver 37 instead of kicking a field goal or punting.

Brady was sacked and fumbled, leading to a quick Denver touchdown. New England fumbled on its next possession, and the Broncos were threatening to piece together a comeback until a fumble of their own sealed the outcome.

Belichick defended the call after the game by suggesting that he’d rather gamble on his offense than his defense and special teams.

“We didn’t have very far to go,” Belichick said. “We would have gained some yardage if we punted, possibly, depending on how good the punt was. We would have had to protect it. I thought we had a good chance to pick it up there, we just didn’t do a good job on it.”

And he didn’t have far to go Sunday night. What really happened is that Belichick bet on Brady to pick up a yard. Most people would play those same odds, regardless of the situation, and even more would put their savings on him to gain three feet on any given play.

It works, like the other five times, and Belichick is a genius. When it doesn’t, those same individuals lauding him will be waiting with pitchforks.

It’s the life of a coach.

Freedom Credit Union's campaign includes Spanish ads in local newspapers and on radio and television stations, financial literacy initiatives and public relations.

Employees of the Freedom Credit Union in Springfield discuss strategies for their new initiative to attract Latino customers. Fom left, Barry Crosby, president and CEO; William Russo-Appel, marketing officer; Kara B. Herman, vice president of retail administration; Lucila (Lucy) Sanchez, assistant branch officer, Chicopee branch; and Edward Nunez, senior business development officer. The Republican / Don Treeger  

SPRINGFIELD– Every day, Lucila "Lucy" Sanchez meets with Latino customers who want to open a bank account, apply for a car loan or mortgage or just want financial advice.

"For many people it makes a difference to see a teller or a loan officer who speaks their language and understands them," said Sanchez, the assistant branch officer at the Chicopee branch of Freedom Credit Union.

Freedom Credit Union, a full-service financial cooperative with online banking and nine branches throughout Western Massachusetts, has launched its first marketing campaign to extend its brand awareness and loyalty to the Latino community.

The new campaign is called “Juntos Por Tu Libertad Financiera” (Together for Your Financial Freedom).

"The company is doing this campaign because we believe that it is important to provide the best service and ensure that the customer receives the product they need, no matter what their economic status is," Sanchez said.

The Latino community now comprises almost 39 percent of Springfield’s population, up from 27.2 percent in 2000, according to the U.S. Census. The census also reported that the region’s Latino population grew 40 percent from 2000-2010.

“The Latino community has always been a very important part of our membership base, and the recent and rapid growth of the Latino population in the region provides Freedom Credit Union a unique opportunity to demonstrate that we value the diverse community in which we live,” said Freedom Credit Union President Barry Crosby.

The campaign, created by Bauzá & Associates, consists of a print, TV and radio advertising campaign as well as financial literacy initiatives and public relations.

"We really wanted to reach out to people through the newspapers, radio stations and television station they listen to and watch," said William Russo-Appel, marketing officer.

"A large part of this campaign is education," said Edward Nuñez, senior business development officer for the company.

Nuñez visits local schools to teach children how to manage a bank account.

"The purpose is to teach good financial habits to children from an early age," he said. "We are also available to teach their parents about financial planning. It's really important to educate people about the opportunities available to them."

Nuñez and Sanchez also write a column for El Pueblo Latino, the weekly Spanish-language newspaper published by The Republican, to keep the community informed about topics related to finances.

"These topics come from the needs of customers," Sanchez said. "Every day I work with the community and see where there is need."

Crosby said the company employs Spanish-speaking employees at all levels, from tellers to management. He said there are also bilingual employees who speak Russian, Greek, Portuguese and other languages.

"Our strength is in our diversity, that is something we have believed and practiced for a long time. With this campaign we are just taking that a step further," Crosby said.

The 20-year plan with a $128 million price tag aims to help neighborhoods with steps like renovating or razing blighted properties.

Cover of the Holyoke plan, "“Connect. Construct. Create. – A plan to revitalize Center City Holyoke." Mike Plaisance, The Republican  

HOLYOKE -- The City Council vote to adopt a new urban renewal plan to help four downtown neighborhoods was unanimous on Dec. 4 and the vote was followed by applause from the audience at City Hall.

State officials will notice how strongly the city supports the plan, said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Office of Planning and Economic Development.

"They love seeing that. It's not just passage," Marrero said.

A City Council committee's hearing on the plan drew 80 people Nov. 5.

The next step is for the city to do appraisals of properties targeted for redevelopment in the plan, which will be submitted early next year to the state Department of Housing and Community Development. State approval
puts an official stamp on a declared city effort to help the Flats, South Holyoke, Churchill and Prospect Heights-Downtown neighborhoods by stimulating private investment, Marrero said.

The plan is titled “Connect. Construct. Create. – A plan to revitalize Center City Holyoke."

It outlines a 20-year effort with three schedules for the various steps -- short-, medium- and long-term -- and an estimated cost to accomplish everything of $128.3 million.

The money would come from property sales, government grant and other funding, borrowing, tax credits and city funds, officials said.

In other words, while the plan is ambitious, the city at the moment doesn't have much of the money needed to carry out the steps, Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin said. His remarks about the urban renewal plan came during the same meeting as the council's adoption but in a discussion about how the city could benefit from the revenue from a casino resort.

That means Marrero's staff has a lot of work ahead to turn the plan's words into deeds that will help the four neighborhoods, he said.

But the events of Dec. 4 were welcome, he said.

"It was nice that it got a unanimous vote, but it was really sweet that they applauded," Marrero said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said the council's unanimous vote gives him faith officials can proceed with a plan he called "targeted, ambitious, and visionary."

"The support of this plan comes from diverse groups of people from all across the city, and is a testament to the hardworking staff of the (Holyoke Redevelopment Authority) and the Office of Planning and Development for reaching out and developing a plan that can make us all proud to call Holyoke home," Morse said.

The plan's goals are:

• To promote investment to try to lure new jobs, such as by helping existing businesses and trying to bring in new ones,

• To improve housing options with a mix of rental and ownership properties at different prices,

• To renovate or raze blighted properties,

• To improve streets and other infrastructure,

• To promote use of "green," or environmentally friendly steps like the renewable electricity from the city's hydroelectric dam,

• To improve quality of life such as by supporting renovation of the Victory Theatre,

• To increase the tax base such as by redeveloping under-used or vacant properties,

• To establish steps to support the renewal plan such as by modifying zoning laws and offering incentives to businesses.

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., is set to be sentenced Monday and could face up to 60 years in prison.

Christopher Chaney AP  

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Long before Christopher Chaney made headlines by hacking into the email accounts of such stars as Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera, two other women say he harassed and stalked them online.

The women, who both knew Chaney, say their lives have been irreparably damaged by his actions. One has anxiety and panic attacks; the other is depressed and paranoid. Both say Chaney was calculated, cruel and creepy: he sent nude photos they had taken of themselves to their family members.

Their accounts as cybervictims serve as a cautionary tale for those, even major celebrities, who snap personal, and sometimes revealing photos.

Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., is set to be sentenced Monday and could face up to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to nine felony counts, including wiretapping and unauthorized access to a computer, for hacking into email accounts of Aguilera, Johansson and Mila Kunis.

Aguilera said in a statement that although she knows that she's often in the limelight, Chaney took from her some of the private moments she shares with friends.

"That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy," Aguilera said.

Prosecutors said Chaney illegally accessed the email accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry between November 2010 and October 2011. Aguilera, Kunis and Johansson agreed to have their identities made public with the hopes that the exposure about the case would provide awareness about online intrusion.

The biggest spectacle in the case was the revelation that nude photos taken by Johansson herself and meant for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds were taken by Chaney and put on the Internet. The "Avengers" actress is not expected to attend the hearing, but she has videotaped a statement that may be shown in court.

Some of Aguilera's photos appeared online after Chaney sent an email from the account of her stylist, Simone Harouche, to Aguilera asking the singer for scantily clad photographs, prosecutors said.

Chaney forwarded many of the photographs to two gossip websites and another hacker, but there wasn't evidence he profited from his scheme, authorities said.

For the two women, who were only identified in court papers by their initials, their encounters with Chaney went from friendly to frightening.

One of the women, identified by the initials T.B., said she first met Chaney online in 1999 when she was 13 years old. She began talking with a girl named "Jessica" that later turned out to actually be Chaney.

Chaney figured out his victims' email passwords and security questions and set a feature to forward a copy of every email they received to an account he controlled.

The woman said that in February 2009 her friends contacted her and let her know that several nude photos of her were uploaded to a public gallery. A year later, Chaney sent a link to a photo-sharing website he created and had her nude pictures sent to her father.

She said she spends several hours a week monitoring the Internet for her personal information and breaks into a sweat whenever she receives a Google alert email notifying her that her name has been mentioned online.

In her letter to U.S. District Judge S. James Otero, she said she thinks Chaney won't stop and she still feels like he has control over her reputation, relationships and career.

Chaney was arrested in October 2011 as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi." Chaney's computer hard drive contained numerous private celebrity photos and a document that compiled their extensive personal data, according to a search warrant.

Chaney has since apologized for what he has done, but prosecutors are recommending a nearly six-year prison sentence for him. They also want him to pay $150,000 in restitution, including about $66,000 to Johansson.

The second woman, identified in court papers only as T.C., said she was a close friend of Chaney's for more than a decade. As early as 2003 she noticed her passwords were being reset and email she hadn't looked at had been read by someone. She also said Chaney forwarded an invitation to an online photo gallery to her brother, who eventually saw naked pictures of her.

The woman said the night before she got married, Chaney deleted her email account and she was unable to correspond with a notary until she created a new email address.

In her letter to the judge, the woman said she's been broken by the physical and emotional toll and can no longer recall what it was like to have a private life.

A grieving Connecticut town braced itself Monday to bury the first two of the 20 small victims of an elementary school gunman and debated when classes could resume — and where, given the carnage in the building and the children's associations with it.

By MATT APUZZO and PAT EATON-ROBB, Associated Press

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A grieving Connecticut town braced itself Monday to bury the first two of the 20 small victims of an elementary school gunman and debated when classes could resume — and where, given the carnage in the building and the children's associations with it.

The people of Newtown weren't yet ready to address the question just three days after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and a day after President Barack Obama pledged to seek change in memory of the children and six adults ruthlessly slain by a gunman packing a high-powered rifle.

"We're just now getting ready to talk to our son about who was killed," said Robert Licata, the father of a student who escaped harm during the shooting. "He's not even there yet."

Newtown officials couldn't say whether Sandy Hook Elementary, where authorities said all the victims were shot at least twice, would ever reopen. Monday classes were canceled, and the district was making plans to send surviving Sandy Hook students to a former school building in a neighboring town.

The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, was carrying an arsenal of hundreds of rounds of especially deadly ammunition, authorities said Sunday — enough to kill just about every student in the school if given enough time, raising the chilling possibility that the bloodbath could have been even worse.

The shooter decided to kill himself when he heard police closing in about 10 minutes into Friday's attack, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said on ABC's "This Week."

At the interfaith service in Newtown on Sunday evening, Obama said he would use "whatever power this office holds" to engage with law enforcement, mental health professionals, parents and educators in an effort to prevent more tragedies like Newtown.

"What choice do we have?" Obama said on a stark stage that held only a small table covered with a black cloth, candles and the presidential podium. "Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?"

The president first met privately with families of the victims and with the emergency personnel who responded to the shooting. Police and firefighters got hugs and standing ovations when they entered for the public vigil, as did Obama.

"We needed this," said the Rev. Matt Crebbin, senior minister of the Newtown Congregational Church. "We need to be together here in this room. ... We needed to be together to show that we are together and united."

As Obama read some of the names of victims early in his remarks, sobs resonated throughout the hall. He closed by slowly reading the first names of each of the 26 victims.

"God has called them all home," he said. "For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory."

The first funerals were planned Monday for Jack Pinto, a 6-year-old New York Giants fan who might be buried in wide receiver Victor Cruz's jersey, and Noah Pozner, a boy of the same age who liked to figure out how things worked mechanically.

"He was just a really lively, smart kid," said Noah's uncle Alexis Haller, of Woodinville, Wash. "He would have become a great man, I think. He would have grown up to be a great dad."

With more funerals planned this week, the road ahead for Newtown — which had already started purging itself of Christmas decorations in a joyful season turned mournful — was clouded.

"I feel like we have to get back to normal, but I don't know if there is normal anymore," said Kim Camputo, mother of two children, ages 5 and 10, who attend a different school. "I'll definitely be dropping them off and picking them up myself for a while."

Jim Agostine, superintendent of schools in nearby Monroe, said plans were being made for students from Sandy Hook to attend classes in his town this week.

Newtown police Lt. George Sinko said he "would find it very difficult" for students to return to the same school where they came so close to death. But, he added, "We want to keep these kids together. They need to support each other."

Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said state construction employees are advising on renovating Sandy Hook, which serves grades kindergarten through four.

It wasn't just Newtown that was concerned about the next steps for its schoolchildren. Across the country, vigilance was expected to be high. In an effort to ensure student safety and calm parents' nerves, districts have asked police departments to increase patrols and have sent messages to parents outlining safety plans they assured them are regularly reviewed and rehearsed.

Teachers girded themselves to be strong for their students and for questions and fears they would face in the classroom.

"It's going to be a tough day," said Richard Cantlupe, an American history teacher at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Fla. "This was like our 9/11 for schoolteachers."

Authorities say the gunman shot his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their home and then took her car and several of her guns to the school, where he broke in and shot his victims to death, then himself. A Connecticut official said the mother was found dead in her pajamas in bed, shot four times in the head with a .22-caliber rifle.

Federal agents have concluded that Lanza visited an area shooting range, but they do not know whether he actually practiced shooting there. Ginger Colbrun, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, would not identify the range or say how recently he was there.

Agents determined Lanza's mother visited shooting ranges several times, but it's not clear whether she took her son or whether he fired a weapon there, Colbrun said.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators are reviewing the contents of Lanza's computer, as well as phone and credit card records, in an effort to piece together his activities leading up to the shooting. The official was not authorized to discuss the details of the case.

Investigators have offered no motive, and police have found no letters or diaries that could shed light on it. They believe Lanza attended Sandy Hook many years ago, but they couldn't explain why he went there Friday. Authorities said Lanza had no criminal history, and it was not clear whether he had a job.

Lanza is believed to have used a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle in the school attack, a civilian version of the military's M-16 and a model commonly seen at marksmanship competitions. It's similar to the weapon used in a recent shopping mall shooting in Oregon.

Versions of the AR-15 were outlawed in the United States under the 1994 assault weapons ban. That law expired in 2004, and Congress, in a nod to the political clout of the gun-rights lobby, did not renew it.

In some of the first regulatory proposals to rise out of the Newtown shooting, Democratic lawmakers and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday that military-style assault weapons should be banned and that a national commission should be established to examine mass shootings.

"Assault weapons were developed for the U.S. military, not commercial gun manufacturers," said Lieberman, of Connecticut, who is retiring next month. "This is a moment to start a very serious national conversation about violence in our society, particularly about these acts of mass violence."

Gun rights activists remained largely quiet, all but one declining to appear on the Sunday talk shows. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, defended the sale of assault weapons and said that the principal at Sandy Hook, who authorities say died trying to overtake the shooter, should herself have been armed.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers John Christoffersen, Ben Feller, Adam Geller, Jim Kuhnhenn and Michael Melia in Newtown; David Collins in Hartford, Conn.; Brian Skoloff in Phoenix; and Anne Flaherty in Washington.

According to multiple reports, Boston has agreed with free agent shortstop Stephen Drew on a one-year deal expected to be worth $9.5 million.

The Boston Red Sox are going back to the Drew family well.

According to multiple reports, Boston has agreed with free agent shortstop Stephen Drew on a one-year deal expected to be worth $9.5 million.

Drew, 29, hit just .223 last season with seven home runs and 28 RBI while splitting time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics. A career 265/.328/.433 hitter, he was limited to just 79 games by a gruesome ankle injury.

Drew's older brother, J.D., retired after the 2011 season following five seasons with the Red Sox.

A student at Holy Cross College in Worcester has been charged with making an online threat against a movie theater in Massachusetts.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A student at Holy Cross College in Worcester has been charged with making an online threat against a movie theater in Massachusetts.

The Worcester District Attorney's office says 21-year-old Gregory Hamalian was arrested Friday night. He was ordered held over the weekend on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Worcester District Court on charges of making terroristic threats and threatening to commit a crime.

A spokesman for the DA's office said Hamalian posted messages on social media sites threatening a shooting at an unspecified theater. No other details were released.

A spokeswoman for Holy Cross College said the student, a junior, was placed on interim suspension pending the result of the case and a review by the school.

Democratic Sen. John Kerry stands tall as President Barack Obama's good soldier.

This Dec. 3, 2012 file photo shows Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kerry stands tall as President Barack Obama's good soldier. The lawmaker from Massachusetts has quietly jetted off to Afghanistan and Pakistan numerous times to tamp down diplomatic disputes that threatened to explode in the administration's face, spending hours on tea and walks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai or delicate negotiations in Islamabad. It's a highly unusual role for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman: envoy without a specific portfolio. Kerry has pushed the White House's national security agenda in the Senate, with mixed results. He successfully ensured ratification of a nuclear arms reduction treaty in 2010 and most recently failed to convince Republicans to back a U.N. pact on the rights of persons with disabilities. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) The Associated Press  

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. John Kerry stands tall as President Barack Obama's good soldier.

The Massachusetts lawmaker has flown to Afghanistan and Pakistan numerous times to tamp down diplomatic disputes, spending hours drinking tea and taking walks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai or engaging in delicate negotiations in Islamabad.

It's a highly unusual role for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman: envoy with a special but undefined portfolio.

Kerry has pushed the White House's national security agenda in the Senate with mixed results. He successfully ensured ratification of a nuclear arms reduction treaty in 2010 and most recently failed to persuade Republicans to back a U.N. pact on the rights of the disabled.

Throughout this past election year, he skewered Obama's Republican rival, Mitt Romney, at nearly every opportunity and was a vocal booster for the president's re-election. Kerry memorably told delegates at the Democratic National Convention in August: "Ask Osama bin Laden if he's better off now than he was four years ago."

Obama seems likely to reward all that work by nominating the 69-year-old Kerry, perhaps in the coming days, to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as the nation's top diplomat. The prospects for the five-term senator soared last week when U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, a top contender for the post, withdrew from consideration to avoid a fierce fight with Senate Republicans.

A Kerry nomination has been discussed with congressional leaders, and consultations between the White House and congressional Democrats have centered on the fate of his Senate seat, according to officials familiar with the situation who were not authorized to publicly discuss the talks. If the seat were in play, it could boost the prospects for recently defeated Republican Sen. Scott Brown to win back a job in Washington.

At the same time, Obama is considering one of Kerry's former Senate colleagues, Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, for the Pentagon's top job.

The selection of Kerry would close a political circle with Obama. In 2004, it was White House hopeful Kerry who asked a largely unknown Illinois state senator to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic convention in Boston, handing the national stage to Obama. Kerry lost that election to President George W. Bush. Four years later, Obama was the White House hopeful who succeeded where Kerry had failed.

Senate colleagues in both parties say Kerry's confirmation would be swift and near certain, another remarkable turnaround. Eight years ago, the GOP ridiculed Kerry as a wind-surfing flip-flopper as he tried and failed to unseat Bush.

"If he is nominated, he comes into the position with a world of knowledge. He's someone who certainly understands how the legislative process works, and I think he will be someone that Congress will want to work with in a very positive way," said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is poised to become the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee next year.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said "there's no question he has a very strong depth of knowledge of these issues. Certainly qualified."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has taken to jokingly referring to Kerry as "Mr. Secretary."

Kerry and McCain, defeated presidential candidates who returned to the Senate, have joined forces repeatedly during the past few decades. In July 1995, the two decorated Vietnam War veterans provided political cover to President Bill Clinton when he normalized U.S. relations with Vietnam. Clinton had been dogged by questions about his lack of military service.

Last year, Kerry and McCain were outspoken in pushing for a no-fly zone over Libya as Moammar Gadhafi's forces attacked rebels and citizens. This month, they stood together in arguing for the disabilities treaty against staunch Republican opposition and complaints that it could undermine U.S. national sovereignty.

The pact fell five votes short of ratification, and Kerry called it "one of the saddest days I've seen" in his years in the Senate.

"Today I understand better than ever before why Americans have such disdain for Congress and just how much must happen to fix the Senate so we can act on the real interests of our country," he said, his frustration evident.

Kerry has traveled extensively for the administration, to Afghanistan in May as a strategic partnership agreement loomed large in the decade-plus war. He was in Pakistan last year in the midst of a diplomatic crisis after Raymond Davis, a CIA-contracted American spy, was accused of killing two Pakistanis.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, traveled to Pakistan around that time and recalled Kerry's influence.

"I arrived in Islamabad I think five days after Ray Davis had been taken into a jail in the Punjab and was at very real risk of being hauled out of the jail and lynched," Coons said. "Sen. Kerry was about to show up and negotiate on behalf of the administration. And it was clear that both the diplomats and the military folks we met with viewed him as a real man of credibility and experience who was likely to contribute meaningfully to those negotiations."

Davis pleaded self-defense. After weeks of wrangling between the U.S. and Pakistan, he was released in exchange for "blood money" paid to the dead men's relatives.

This year, Kerry has presided over committee hearings on treaties and other major issues, but there has been little legislative work. He didn't draw much attention to the committee, avoiding possible embarrassments for the administration in an election year.

Corker said he would have liked for the committee to devote more time to events in Libya, Syria and other countries.

"I think he's tried to accommodate our concerns and at the same time seek a balance ... giving the administration the headroom they needed to do what he and the administration felt was best. I understand that," he said, speaking of Kerry.

Coons said Kerry's deliberate work is often behind the scenes.

"The role of the chairman ... is not always getting your picture taken with George Clooney, standing around with heads of state, going to receptions in Foggy Bottom," he said. "It's also lots and lots of time listening to folks who've got concerns whether it's on behalf of the defense community, the business community, the diplomatic community and being the person who's at the intersection of all that and trying to keep the Senate productively engaged in a very dangerous world with a lot of emerging threats."

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Boston contributed to this report.

The White House and congressional Republicans are a long way from agreeing on a plan to deal with the "fiscal cliff." But it seems like some progress is being made.

By ANDREW TAYLOR and JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and congressional Republicans are a long way from agreeing on a plan to deal with the "fiscal cliff." But it seems like some progress is being made.

House Speaker John Boehner is offering $1 trillion in higher tax revenue over 10 years and an increase in the top tax rate on people making more than $1 million a year. He's also offering a large enough extension in the government's borrowing cap to fund the government for one year before the issue must be revisited — conditioned on President Barack Obama agreeing to the $1 trillion in cuts.

The offer, made Friday after a long impasse between Boehner, R-Ohio, and Obama, calls for about $450 billion in revenue from increasing the top rate on million-dollar-plus income from 35 percent to the Clinton-era rate of 39.6 percent.

The additional revenue required to meet the $1 trillion target would be collected through a rewrite of the tax code next year and by slowing the inflation adjustments made to tax brackets.

In return, Boehner is asking for $1 trillion in spending cuts from government benefit programs like Medicare. Those cuts would defer most of a painful set of across-the-board spending cuts set to slash many domestic programs and the Pentagon budget by 8-9 percent, starting in January.

Boehner's proposal was described Sunday by officials familiar with it. They required anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

Boehner also continues to press for a less generous inflation adjustment for Social Security benefits, a move endorsed by many budget hawks. Obama and Democrats on last year's deficit "supercommittee" endorsed the idea in offers made last year, but they're more reluctant now.

The new inflation adjustment would also raise about $70 billion over a decade in new revenues because tax brackets would rise more slowly for inflation, driving people more quickly into higher tax brackets.

The increased optimism come as time is running out before the adjournment of Congress. Tax rates on all workers go up in January, and $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts begin to take effect then as well. Taken together with the expiration of extended jobless benefits and a 2-percentage-point break in Social Security payroll taxes, the combination of austerity steps threatens to send the economy back into recession.

The burst of optimism is tempered by the caution that the remaining steps to reaching a deal — particularly how much to cut Medicare and whether to impose the new, less generous inflation adjustment to Social Security — are difficult. Then comes the job of selling it to a polarized Congress, where GOP conservatives have been railing against higher tax rates for months as sure to cost jobs and hurt small business, and Democrats have taken a harder line against cost curbs to Medicare.

But it appears clear there is momentum as White House and congressional aides worked through the weekend.

The movement comes as an increasing number of Republicans have called for a tactical retreat that would hand Obama a victory on his longstanding campaign promise to raise taxes on households making more than $250,000 a year. That increase, combined with an increase in the tax rate on investment income from 15 percent to 20 percent, would raise about $800 billion in tax revenue over a decade.

In that context, Boehner's move could be seen as an attempt to get spending cuts linked to the rate increase rather than giving them up and getting nothing in return. Judging from the numbers, Boehner is also willing to allow tax rates on investment income to increase for high-end income and allow the reinstatement of curbs on the value of exemptions and itemized deductions for high-income earners.

Still, the Boehner offer is sure to cause unrest among many conservative Republicans dead set against raising tax rates at all.

Obama has offered $600 billion in spending cuts over a decade, including $350 billion from federal health care programs and $250 billion from other cuts to domestic programs like farm subsidies and the pension program for federal workers, and through sales of used federal property.

Obama and Boehner met Thursday in a session described as "frank" by both sides. Boehner's offer and a follow-up phone call came the next day, amid increasing speculation that Republicans might move on to a plan B in which they would give Obama a win on tax rates for upper-bracket earners and renew the fight when increasing the government's borrowing cap — which needs to be done soon, probably in February.

Boehner's $1 trillion cut proposal would be paired with a comparable increase in the borrowing cap, enough to keep the government borrowing for about a year. But if the cuts are smaller, the debt limit increase would be smaller as well.

"Our position has not changed. Any debt limit increase would require cuts and reforms of a greater amount," said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck.

But Boehner is showing flexibility on how quickly to implement any increase in the Medicare eligibility age, recognizing the Democratic opposition to the idea. Republicans have been cautious on that front as well; they have regularly exempted those close to retirement age from their Medicare cuts.

Obama originally sought $1.6 trillion in new tax revenue over a decade and has since revised that to $1.4 trillion. He would probably go lower, a decision fueled in part by resistance from Democratic allies in the Senate to Obama proposals like taxing capital gains and income at rates equal to earned income.

A freezing rain advisory is in effect until 9 a.m.

A freezing rain advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. this morning, and some roadways and sidewalks remain slippery.

CBS3 Springfield has compiled the following list of school delays for Monday, Dec. 17:

One-hour Delay

• Community Christian School, Westfield

Two-hour Delay

• Amherst-Pelham School District


• Farmington River Reg. School District


• Frontier Reg./Union #38 School District


• Gateway Reg. School District


• Gill-Montague School District (No Pre-School)


• Greenfield Center School


• Greenfield Public Schools


• Hampshire Regional School District


• Hartsbrook School-Hadley


• Pioneer Valley School District


• Quaboag Regional HS


• Southwick-Tolland-Granville Reg. Schools


• Tantasqua/Union School District (No Pre-School)


• Westfield Schools


• White Oak School-Westfield

Other

• Greenfield Community College: Open at 10:00 AM


• Franklin County Home Care-Turners Falls: No meals

AP Photo | Stephan Savoia  

June was also ordered to repay $15 million.

Joe Deburro, The Republican  

SPRINGFIELD - A former South Hadley resident who pleaded guilty to his part in a fraudulent mortgage scheme involving real estate in Florida was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to 6 ¾ years in prison and ordered pay $15 million in restitution.

In addition to the sentence, James June, 52, a resident of Rockville, Md., was ordered by Judge Michael A. Ponsor to serve five years probation following his release.

June in April pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering as part of a multi-million dollar mortgage and back fraud scheme he hatched up with two associates. The scheme involved more than 100 real estate transactions in Florida and Greater Springfield with mortgages totaling some $75 million. Most have since gone into default.

The associates, Jason Foisy of Port Orange, Fla., and and David Tarczynski of Fort Lauderdale, also pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced.

Foisy received a sentence of 4 ½ years in prison and Tarczynski was sentenced to 20 months.

"I think everyone who is fortunate enough to be able to give should give, so everyone can celebrate," Haryasz says.

LUDLOW – Edward J. (“Ed”) Haryasz has been donating to Toy for Joy for years in memory of his father, Walter Haryasz, whom he remembers as a model dad.

“He loved children, loved his wife, loved God, loved sports. He was an all-around great man,” said Haryasz, whose father died in 2005.

Haryasz grew up in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield as one of four brothers. He came with a twin, Ted, a little bonus that was unexpected. The kids had some 15 cousins nearby.

“I come from a very loving family,” says Haryasz. His father always put up a Christmas tree, with old-fashioned lights that sent a stream of vertical bubbles, he recalls.

His mother, Agnes, still lives in the house Walter built in 1952. She used to make her children’s clothes, her son recalls. “In the ¤’40s people didn’t have a lot of money. But she did a great job raising us,” he said.

Edward’s wife, Marilyn Haryasz, also honors her own parents, Stella and Stanley Borowik, with a donation to Toy for Joy.

She grew up in East Longmeadow. When asked how they met, Edward replies, as if it were obvious: “I’m Polish and she’s Polish!”

He goes on to explain that Polish dances at Forest Lake in Palmer brought them together. When the couple married, they moved to a place near Chmura’s Bakery in Indian Orchard.

Once when they started having children, they moved to a house in Ludlow. They have three sons and five grandchildren. “Beautiful” is how Haryasz describes the family that he loves.

He and his wife are devout, and worship at Christ the King Parish in Ludlow. “Being a Christian, I like to see the ‘Christ’ in Christmas,” said Haryasz. “I think everyone who is fortunate enough to be able to give should give, so everyone can celebrate.”

For more information, call 733-7581. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon at The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. until Dec. 21.

Here’s a list of the latest contributors:

• In loving memory of my Dad, Walter J. Haryasz from son Ed, $25
• In loving memory of Stanley and Stella Borowik, with love from daughter Marilyn, $25
• In memory of Lily, Mike and Gerry, $20
• Merry Christmas from Cathedral High School girls basketball team, $82
• In memory of Gramp, to the best sheep farmer, love your grandson Dill, $25
• In loving memory of the Leclerc/Scibelli families, love Bill and Jocie, $25
• In memory of our friend John Schulthess III from Tom and Marge, $25
• In memory of Wing, my best hunting dog, $20
• Merry Christmas, Mike, Cindy, Holly and Matt, $100
• In honor of James Newton, Billy Swan and James Punderson, $100
• In loving memory of Mom and Dad, Anna and Walter Seifert, $20
• From Sandy and Pat, $25
• Merry Christmas to all from Pete, Kathy, Mackenzie and Shannon, $100
• Remembering Sue Muller, Shirley and George Wrinkly, love Grace, Christopher and Lucas, $30
• See you on Big Rock Candy Mountain, love to Grassman, Dave and Tbird, $100
• In memory of my good dog Daisy, you made my days happy, $100
• In memory of my husband Frank, $10
• In memory of Gramma, Grampa, Ninnie and Frank Noni, love Alyson and Chris Mastrangelo, $25
• In memory of Joe and Margaret Ambrose from their daughters, $25
• In loving memory of George W. and George R. Waterman, sadly missed by Angie, Judy and Gail, $25
• Remembering Roy, my BFF, love ETA, $20
• In loving memory of my husband Stanley Janas from Irene, $50
• Memory of Francis and Walter Raymond, $20
• Sandy and Laird, $150
• Merry Christmas from Lucas Letendre and his new sister Alexa Sadie Letendre born 10/21/12, Elk Grove, CA, $30
• Albina, $10
• Merry Christmas to Matthew, $25
• In memory of my brother Jim, $25
• There is no greater gift than a mothers love, I love you Mom from Dana, $10
• In memory of Mom, $20
• The Rauh’s grandchildren, John, Dabney, Natalie, Tyler, Hailey and Nick, $20
• In remembrance of our wonderful parents Steff and Nello, $25
• In loving memory of the Bewsee and Shea families, love JS, $50
• Anonymous, $1,000
• In loving memory of Catherine, Daryl and Christine Weckerly from Bonnie and Jeffrey, $25
• In loving memory of Eunice Henry from your favorite son, $100
• In memory of Greg from Ann, $20
• In memory of Joe, Claire and Michael from Austin Brothers Valley Farm, $50
• Merry Christmas, St. Therese of Child Jesus prayer group, Longmeadow, MA, $50
• Merry Christmas to all children from Button and Tiger, $25
• In memory of aunty Chrissie and NanaNana, love Joe Fitz, $50
• The Ed Foley grandkids, $19.99
• Thank you St. Ceilia and thank you St. Joseph, $29.83
• Anonymous, $30
• Anonymous, $20
• Merry Christmas, Jack, Caroline and Tommy, $25
• In loving memory of Leo F. Malanson from your loving family, $10
• Remembering Jim and Bill Dunn, Mom Bush and Birdie Newman-Long, $50
• In memory of Muffin, $10
• In memory of Ingrid, Fred, Granmother Lucy and Uncle Herb, $1
• Tennyson Wilson, husband and father 1984, Eric Wilson, son and brother, 1989, $10
• Your friends at Storms Forge, $122.80

RECEIVED: $3,010.62
TOTAL TO DATE: $42,857.62
STILL NEEDED: $107,142.38

Letter writer: Should the wealthy pay more in taxes?

MGM casino misses on historical front

MGM Restorts International hopes to buy the old State Armory building, left, and former Zanetti School building, right, on Howard Street as part of its casino plan for the South End of Springfield.  

Like the concerned citizen and preservationist I am, I attended the casino presentation last week to get the answers I sough, regarding MGM’s casino proposal for the South End. I was not a proponent of a casino.

I felt, however, I could be swayed if it meant saving and reusing architecture in our downtown. I found just the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, MGM has some great ideas, such as market rate apartments to lure young professionals downtown. Great! Or the outdoor skating rink in winter – fantastic, especially given that one of the early ices skates was invented right here.

Yes, Springfield is the City of Homes, and the city of jirsts. It is also a city rich in history that is reflected in our architecture. Several important properties on the National Register are located within the proposed casino district.

The question that was asked, in essence, was how flexible the MGM plan was. Was there more interest by MGM to save significant historic properties? The answer was no.

MGM is only committed to reusing four of the over a dozen historic properties on the site, and two of those will retain only the facade. Facades give the appearance of a prop on a stage. With a good portion of the structure removed, the appearance and appeal of great architecture disappears, and the importance of these buildings and their place in history, is diminished, if not altogether lost.

This is particularly true of the Howard Street Armory. Not just significant historically, the Armory is unique and has been part of the landscape for so long, that I can’t imagine it being reduced to a mere shell, lost among the glitz and glass of new architecture.

It is ironic that MGM chose Springfield, in part because of its rich architecture, yet it is the first thing to go.

MGM claims to have connected and reached out to the community over the last year, yet no one has met with the Historical Commission, nor the Springfield Preservation Trust, to discuss the viability, reuse, or importance of any of these structures. Is this a precedent we want to set, that anything is dispensable for the right price and without due process from the residents of the city? What exactly are we willing to give up in the name of progress?

At the end of the day, we are a 375-year-old New England city, and that part of our identity, casino or not, should still be evident. Saving the Armory is more important than providing the city with a bowling alley. Make no mistake, a casino will be profitable, whether these buildings are retained or not. So, let’s not sacrifice that which makes Springfield special and separates us from other communities. We should accept nothing less.

– DENISE MOCCIA, Historic McKnight Board member,
Springfield Preservation Trust

In the greater Holyoke area and beyond, there emerged a number of gifted keyboardists perhaps from about the turn of the century. Then it was several decades until the appearance of the electric guitar.

Some of the well-known performers who entertained us throughout good and bad times, one individual stands out among the early icons was “Speed Prevost,” then Jocko Whalen, followed by a large number of talented and gifted piano players.

Here are but a few: Johnnie Marion, Ed Thaute, Wally Abrams, Bobby Wiggins, Johnny Brogan, Jane Durocher, Ray Peters, Bill Harry, Irene Brien, Chet Mazurowski, Rod Cote, Phil Dellapenna, Billy Sullivan, Norm Bouchard, Hazel Larochelle, Dan Kane, Jerry Barsalou, Don Henneman, Jim Maes, Charlie Linderme, Lucille Day, Harve Bourez, Everett Sittard, Paul Miller, Michael Sawka, Claude Domingue, Bernie Perrault, Andy Doherty, Lucille Hamel, Joe Ofcarsik.

There are many more names that I don’t recall.

I’m sure that many of you can add to the list. There are those among you who recall the magnificent Franke Carle and the Butterfly Ballroom, a unique piano style that many tried to imitate.

– JERRY BARSALOU, Chicopee

Wealthy should pay more taxes in U.S.

Should the wealthy pay more in taxes? How much of the money in their pockets was sucked out of the pockets of the poor and middle class for years? This is stolen money and should be returned by way of taxes.

How many of the wealthy really believe in democracy? If they do, wouldn’t they advocate making it easier for workers to organize? Collective bargaining is democracy in action. Wouldn’t they give up some of their political power by backing finance reform to level the playing field in the political arena?

The rich have an obligation to stop the theft and return the stolen goods out of love for our country and a sense of justice.

– CHARLES ROGERS. West Springfield

The police chief discussed a gunshot-detection system and the fire chief an ambulance service.

Republican file photo  

Mike Plaisance, The Republican




 

HOLYOKE -- The police and fire chiefs and city councilors continued wrestling with the twin truths of wanting new technology to improve public safety but knowing limited funding could block such advances.

Police Chief James M. Neiswanger Monday discussed the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. Fire Chief John A. Pond said a department ambulance service would make sense since firefighters respond to so many calls anyway.

The discussions came in a meeting of the City Council Public Safety Committee at City Hall.

Both discussions were prompted by orders filed by committee Chairman Anthony Soto.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based ShotSpotter Flex Gunfire Alert and Analysis Service is an audio surveillance system. Its sensors pick up the radiation from the sound of a gunshot. Computer software analyzes the information and pinpoints the shot's location for police in minutes.

It is obvious from the number of gun-related calls here that such technology would help police and the public. Equally obvious is the cost might put the technology out of reach, he said.

"We're a small city with big-city problems. We have a lot of gun-related calls," Neiswanger said.

Gun-related calls are those in which either a shot was fired or someone was seen with a gun. In 2009, police had 204 such calls, in 2010, 266, in 2011, 234, and as of Nov. 30, 250 this year, he said.

But, he said, ShotSpotter would cost $160,000 to install and another $40,000 to link with existing surveillance cameras. That's on top of the $120,000 a year and staff time to maintain the system, he said.

Neiswanger said he knows the city could hit hard financial times soon. The levy ceiling, which is the maximum amount of taxes that can be raised, is near. The levy ceiling under state law for the city now is $52.3 million.

The current levy is $51.28 million, leaving only about $1 million in flexibility to cover increases in operating and capital expenses.

"I can see what's coming down the road," Neiswanger said.

Ward 4 Councilor Jason P. Ferreira asked if the ShotSpotter system would help control guns or police response times. It would be one more tool for police, Neiswanger said.

Soto said he filed the ShotSpotter order on behalf of a constituent.

Discussion of establishing a Fire Department-run ambulance service has been around for decades. It came up again during the committee meeting in relation to Soto's order asking Pond to address the number of calls firefighters respond to.

He spoke little during the meeting, but when he filed the order in May, Soto said his concern was firefighters were going to thousands of calls that seemed unnecessary, given that private ambulances also respond. So many calls are wearing down fire vehicles, he said.

The department responds to 5,100 calls a year and 3,200 of those are medical calls, such as if someone can't breathe or is having chest pains, Pond said.

"If someone's not breathing, we're going," Pond said.

Firefighters at the strategically placed stations around the city are best equipped to reach scenes fast, said Pond, and having two or three department ambulances would improve that.

A study 12 years ago showed starting a Fire Department ambulance service would cost $455,000.

"A lot more research needs to be done," Soto said.

Councilor at Large Brenna M. McGee asked Pond if he was discussing the ambulance issue with Mayor Alex B. Morse. Pond said he currently was not and instead was hoping for money to replace existing fire trucks.

Soto, a former Fire Commission member, has battled with the Fire Department, but during Monday's meeting, he said, "We have the best firefighters around and I support each and every one of you guys."

Scarlett Johansson called the hacker's actions "perverted and reprehensible."

Christopher Chaney AP  

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge sentenced a hacker to 10 years in prison on Monday after he broke into the personal online accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and other women and posted revealing photos and other material on the Internet.

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero sentenced Christopher Chaney after hearing from a tearful Johansson in a videotaped statement.

The case included the revelation that nude photos taken by Johansson of herself and meant for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds were leaked online.

"I have been truly humiliated and embarrassed," Johansson said. "I find Christopher Chaney's actions to be perverted and reprehensible."

Prosecutors said Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., also targeted two women he knew, sending nude pictures of one former co-worker to her father. The judge noted the damage to the women was in some ways worse than what Chaney's celebrity victims endured.

The women, identified in court filings only by initials, wrote in letters to Otero that their lives have been irreparably damaged by Chaney's actions. One has anxiety and panic attacks; the other is depressed and paranoid. Both said Chaney was calculated, cruel and creepy.

"It's hard to fathom the mindset of a person who would accomplish all of this," Otero said. "These types of crimes are as pernicious and serious as physical stalking."

Prosecutors were seeking six years imprisonment, but Otero said he was concerned that Chaney would not be able to control his behavior and had shown a "callous disregard" for his actions.

Chaney, who could have faced a maximum sentence of 60 years under the law, apologized in court but denied that he had sent naked photos of women he knew to their relatives.

"I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry," Chaney said. "I could be sentenced to never use a computer again and I wouldn't care."

Chaney previously pleaded guilty to counts that included wiretapping and unauthorized access to a computer.

Actress and singer Renee Olstead said in court Monday that she attempted to kill herself after Chaney leaked nude photos of her. She said she had never before considered suicide.

"I just really hope this doesn't happen to someone else," she said, crying. "You can lose everything because of the actions of a stranger."

Chaney looked up at her a few times as she spoke but kept his head low for most of Olstead's statement.

Chaney will be placed on three years of supervised probation when he is released and will have to notify officials of his online accounts. But the judge feared that wouldn't be enough and said he wished he could sentence Chaney to lifetime supervision.

The accounts of the cybervictims served as a cautionary tale for people — even major celebrities — who snap personal, sometimes revealing photos.

Aguilera said in a statement issued days before the sentencing that although she knows that she's often in the limelight, Chaney took from her some of the private moments she shares with friends.

"That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy," Aguilera said.

Prosecutors said Chaney illegally accessed the email accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry between November 2010 and October 2011. Aguilera, Mila Kunis and Johansson agreed to have their identities made public with the hope the move would provide awareness about online intrusion.

Some of Aguilera's photos appeared online after Chaney sent an email from the account of her stylist, Simone Harouche, to Aguilera asking the singer for scantily clad photographs, prosecutors said.

Chaney was arrested in October 2011 as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi." Chaney's computer hard drive contained numerous private celebrity photos and a document that compiled their extensive personal data, according to a search warrant.

He continued to pursue his victims after the FBI seized his computer, a factor Otero said warranted a harsher penalty.

A lot has to do with the condition of the trees before the storm, according to Julie Steiner, assistant professor of law at Western New England University School of Law.

 

Question: During last year’s tornado, two trees struck my property. Both were on city property. One tree struck my house, damaging the roof, and another one crushed my front fence.

If a tree on city property falls and damages your property, is the city liable for the damages? If so, what is the best way to proceed?

I do not have homeowners insurance.

– Phil Malmborg,
Springfield

Answer: A lot has to do with the condition of the trees before the storm, according to Julie E. Steiner, assistant professor of law at Western New England University School of Law.

“If tree damage is caused solely by an ‘act of God,’ like the 2011 tornadoes, the city is not liable,” said Steiner, who teaches torts, toxic torts, environmental law and advanced environmental law at the university.

“If the trees were unhealthy prior to the storm, however, the party who sustained property damage can argue that city is liable notwithstanding the act of God,” she added. “Thus, the answer depends on the condition of the trees prior to the tornadoes.”

As a general rule, if a city-owned tree causes property damage and the city could have prevented that damage by the exercise of reasonable care, the city could be held liable, she said. Typically, if a tree is dead, decaying, or if its root structure is compromised (because of recent construction around the root system, for example), it puts the city on notice that the tree is in danger of causing damage. The city is then under a duty to maintain the tree or, where necessary, remove it entirely. Unreasonable failure to do so could make the city liable for any resulting damage, she explained.

If these were otherwise healthy trees that were uprooted solely because of the tornadoes, the city would not be liable. Indeed, the wind power associated with the 2011 tornadoes caused hundreds of trees and tree limbs to dislodge and, if the damage caused by the trees was solely attributable to the tornadoes, there is no liability on the part of any of the tree owners, including the city, she said.

“Proving that the tree was dead or unhealthy prior to the tornadoes might be an obstacle. As a general practice, it is wise to take pictures of a downed tree if there is evidence that the tree was dead or decayed, she said. If the tree was dead or decaying for a period of time prior to the storm, it is possible that someone complained to the city about its condition or that the city had otherwise come to be aware of its condition but the had not yet gotten around to doing anything about it,” she said.

Contact the Springfield Law Department at 36 Court Street, (telephone 413-787-6085) with further questions or to file a claim.

Gene Rosen heard the staccato sound of gunfire near his home Friday morning, but dismissed it as a hunter in the nearby woods.

Gene Rosen becomes emotional as he describes, in an interview with The Associated Press, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, that after Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, he took in six students who were sitting at the end of his driveway who had just run from the school to escape the deadly massacre. Rosen ran upstairs and grabbed an armful of stuffed animals he kept there. He gave those to the children, along with some fruit juice and sat with them as two of the students described seeing their teacher being shot. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) The Associated Press  

By PAT EATON-ROBB, Associated Press

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Gene Rosen heard the staccato sound of gunfire near his home Friday morning, but dismissed it as a hunter in the nearby woods.

Then, 15 minutes later, as he was heading from his house near Sandy Hook Elementary school to a diner, he saw the children.

There were six of them, small children sitting in a neat semicircle at the end of his driveway. A school bus driver was standing over them, telling them things would be all right. It was about 9:30 a.m., and the children, he discovered, had just run from their school to escape a gunman.

"We can't go back to school," one little boy told Rosen. "Our teacher is dead. Mrs. Soto; we don't have a teacher."

That's when Rosen's grandfatherly instincts kicked in.

The 69-year-old retired psychologist took the four girls and two boys into his home, and over the next few hours gave them toys, listened to their stories and called their frantic parents.

"I had no idea what had happened," Rosen said. "I couldn't take that in."

Victoria Soto, 27, was a first-grade teacher killed when 20-year-old Adam Lanza burst into her classroom. It wasn't clear how the children escaped harm, but there have been reports that Soto hid some of her students from the approaching gunman. The six who turned up at Rosen's home did apparently have to run past her body to safety.

"They said he had a big gun and a little gun," said Rosen, who didn't want to discuss other details the children shared.

On Friday, Rosen walked the children past his small goldfish pond with its running waterfall, and the garden he made with his two grandchildren, into the small yellow house he shares with his wife.

Gene Rosen shows some of the stuffed animals he entertained the children with during an interview with the Associated Press, Monday,Dec. 17, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. On the day of the shooting, Rosen took in four girls and two boys that were sitting at the end of his driveway; they had just run from the school, among the first to escape Friday’s deadly shooting. He ran upstairs and grabbed an armful of stuffed animals he kept there. He gave those to the children, along with some fruit juice and sat with them as the two boys described seeing their teacher being shot. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The Associated Press




 

He ran upstairs and grabbed an armful of stuffed animals. He gave those to the children, along with some fruit juice, and sat with them as the two boys described seeing their teacher being shot.

Then Rosen called the children's parents, using cellphone numbers obtained from the school bus company, and they came and retrieved their children.

One little girl, he said, spent the entire ordeal clutching a small stuffed Dalmatian to her chest and staring out the window looking for her mommy.

And one little boy brought them all a moment of levity.

"This little boy turns around, and composes himself, and he looks at me like he had just removed himself from the carnage and he says, 'Just saying, your house is very small,'" Rosen said. "I wanted to tell him, 'I love you. I love you.'"

Rosen said Sandy Hook had always been a place of joy for him. He taught his 8-year-old grandson to ride his bike in the school parking lot and took his 4-year-old granddaughter to use the swings.

"I thought today how life has changed, how that ground has been marred, how that school has been desecrated," he said.

A couple of hours after the last child left, a knock came on his door. It was a frantic mother who had heard that some children had taken refuge there. She was looking for her little boy.

"Her face looked frozen in terror," Rosen said, breaking down in tears.

"She thought maybe a miracle from God would have the child at my house," he said. Later, "I looked at the casualty list ... and his name was on it."

Look back on some of the biggest stories of the year with this recap of 10 of MassLive.com and The Republican's most clickable headlines.

Look back on some of the biggest stories of the year with this recap of 10 of MassLive.com and The Republican's most clickable headlines:

10. Former Holyoke teacher Lisa Lavoie charged with violation of probation when former student victim of statutory rape found hiding in her closet

When a probation officer in March made a spot check of the apartment of Lisa Lavoie -- the former Holyoke middle school teacher on probation for having sex with a 15-year-old student in 2009 -- the officer found the 18-year-old man hiding in Lavoie’s closet.

The sun's rays reflect of a window at the W.E.B. DuBois Library on the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts. The Republican file | John Suchocki

9. Riot police disperse 1,500 students at UMass-Amherst following Super Bowl

Immediately following the end of the New England Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XLVI, thousands of students from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst erupted in a much-predicted riot outside the Southwest Residential Area.

8. Minnechaug High School junior Christopher Steil assails anti-drug efforts, calls drug availability "unbelievable"

In June, a student at Minnechaug Regional High School wrote a letter stating that the high school has a drug problem that it is not doing enough to address.

Christopher Steil, 17, a junior at Minnechaug Regional High School, said that the "random" drug searches at the high school, which are done with police dogs, are not random.

7. Hours after being robbed at work, Cumberland Farms cashier Douglas Moore fired for having too much money in register

Three nights before Christmas 2011, Douglas Moore was at his job at the Cumberland Farms on West Street when a man stuck a gun in his face and told him to empty the cash register.

The next morning, Moore’s boss called him at home to ask him to come to the store for a talk.

“I thought she was going to see how I was doing,” he said.

6. Mayor: Scantily clad models using Holyoke fire trucks played part in Deputy Chief Timothy Moran's early retirement

July's abrupt retirement of Holyoke Deputy Fire Chief Timothy J. Moran was related to his unauthorized permission for sportswear-clad models to pose for photographs with fire trucks and other equipment on city property, Mayor Alex B. Morse said at the time.

Another issue that prompted the retirement was an investigation into Moran’s involvement in an incident a year ago that resulted in criminal charges brought against his brother and former acting chief, William P. Moran, Morse said.

5. Boston Celtics media day 2012: Kevin Garnett deleted Ray Allen's phone number after Allen signed with the Miami Heat

Ray Allen, after leaving for the Miami Heat, is no longer Kevin Garnett's brother. Actually, Garnett doesn't even have Allen's number anymore, even though the two spent five seasons together and helped each other win their first (and only, so far) NBA championship.

"I don't have Ray's number anymore. I'm not trying to communicate with him," Garnett said in September at the Boston Celtics 2012 media day, according to WEEI's Ben Rohrbach.

This composite image made from Associated Press photos shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown. The Associated Press

4. Poll: Elizabeth Warren opens 6-point edge on Scott Brown in Massachusetts Senate race

A survey of Bay State voters conducted Sept. 6-13 by the Western New England University Polling Institute through a partnership with The Republican and MassLive.com, showed Elizabeth Warren leading over Scott Brown, 50 to 44 percent, among likely voters.

3. Springfield police: 23-year-old Enfield resident Maxine Romano, arrested for trespassing in downtown bar, assaults officer with high heel shoe

Police initially arrested the suspect for trespassing in September and as they did so, she told them that she owns a tanning salon and “she would have their jobs by morning,” Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

2. Police: Siblings Robert and Amanda Larrivee, arrested for allegedly trying to steal bathroom TV, claimed they were having sex

Siblings Robert Larrivee, of West Springfield, and Amanda Larrivee, of Deerfield Beach, Fl., were arrested in October after allegedly attempting to steal two televisions from bathrooms at Samuel's Sports Bar at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, police said then.

But larceny charges against Amanda Larrivee were dropped prior to her arraignment in Springfield District Court. In an interview with The Republican Wednesday, Larrivee said statements made by her brother to police had caused her family humiliation.

06/07/12-Springfield-Staff Photo by Dave Roback-Law enforcement officers from many jurisdictions enter the Chapel of the Acres Funeral Home to pay thier respects at the funeral of slain Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose on Thursday afternoon. The Associated Press

1. Springfield Police officer Kevin Ambrose shot and killed responding to domestic dispute at Sixteen Acres apartment complex

Springfield Police officer Kevin Ambrose was shot and killed responding to a domestic dispute in June at the Lawton Arms apartment complex in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood.